4. folk, folk rock, singer-songwriters · 2021. 3. 22. · ex: great big sea ”run runaway"...
TRANSCRIPT
4. Folk, Folk Rock, Singer-Songwriters
Lecture Outline
• Traditional folk definition and folk song features
• Three different ideas of “folk”
• Professionalization of folk in the 1950s and 1960s
• Singer-songwriters
• Some newer folk artists and sounds
Traditional Folk• Oral/Aural transmission
• Anonymous composition (and communal composition)
• Heavy ideological side to the term– Authenticity claims, ideas that change with time
• Some Folk Song Types:– Ballads
• Narratives (love, war, heroes, disasters, etc.)
– Work Songs• Sailors, fishing, mining, lumber, sewing, etc.
– Other • Lullabies, children’s songs, drinking songs etc.
Traditional Folk Song Features• Often unaccompanied (a cappella)
• Simple melodies (and harmonies, if present)
• Usually solo singer or solo instrument
– Simple accompaniment
– Fiddle, guitar, accordion, whistle, spoons, etc.
• Strophic form (AAAAA, etc.) or verse/chorus
• Modal (not major or minor, but Dorian, Lydian modes, etc.)
• Dancing often accompanies folk music
Three different ideas of “folk” music1. 19th Century
– Romantic nationalism
– European classical composers use folk melodies for new compositions
– Start of song collecting
• Turns it into a pop music
• Shapes folk culture in terms of what is and isn’t collected
• Turns it into a written music (as opposed to purely oral/aural)
2. 1930s and 1940s
3. Folk Revival Period (1958-1965)
Folk in the 1930 and 1940s: Three Trends
• Folk music starts to be used as a political tool– Beginning of connections with folk and protest music
– Folk singers often advocated for social change
– Usually left wing positions, socialism, helping the poor or marginalized
• Creation of new “folk” songs– These were often written to sound old-timey, but were also often about
current events
• Some of these new songwriters became celebrities– One of the best examples of these three trends (left wing politics, new
songs, and celebrity), was Woody Guthrie…
Woodie GuthrieEx: Woody Guthrie “Do Re Mi” (1940)
• Similar to 19th C. folk, tells a story– Dustbowl migration of the 1930s
• There were many changes to
“folk authenticity” in the 1930s:– Folk became more urban and intellectual
in its associations
– More political and protest-oriented
– No longer as anonymous
– No longer as firmly centered on old songs
Folk Revival Period (1958-1965)• Popular with college-aged young adults
• Seen as a more “real” and “authentic” alternative to mainstream pop
– Meaningful lyrics often touching on social issues
– Musical simplicity and non-theatrical performances
– Good looks not important (different emphasis on image)
• Huge increase in number of acoustic guitars sold in US in the early 60s
– Passable voice, a few easy chords: anyone can do this
• Reinforces idea that folk music was for and by the people
– As opposed to mainstream pop
Professional Folk Music
• In the late 1950s, folk becomes a major commercial genre, and folk/pop hybrids became very popular (i.e. pop folk)
• Similarities with Brill Building pop:
o Carefully crafted to appeal to a particular part of youth market
o Pop seen as superficial, folk as serious; same business marketing for both
o Both polite and tame in comparison with first wave rock and roll
The Kingston Trio• One of the biggest hits of this era:
• Ex: The Kingston Trio
– “Tom Dooley” (1958)
• Start of folk revival in
mainstream pop market
• Q: How does this song adapt folk
for a commercial market?
• What are the pop and folk elements?
Peter, Paul and Mary• Most successful pop folk group of the 60s• Manager Albert Grossman • Despite a capitalist start, they were well
received by folk fans• Played both sides: pop sensibility and
“authentic” performance style
Ex: Peter, Paul and Mary – “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963)
Compare with the original version:Ex: Bob Dylan – “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963)
Split in Folk Market
• The folk scene - and the idea of “folk” music - becomes more complicated
• The newer ideas of folk do not erase the older ones
– Instead they co-exist and influence one another
• Older-style: Joan Baez; Bob Dylan; Gordon Lightfoot
• Newer pop-style: Kingston Trio; Rooftop Singers; Peter, Paul and Mary
Bob Dylan• From Minnesota to Greenwich Village, NYC, 1961
• Quickly became a leader in the scene
– Although his recording career was slow to take off
• Manager Albert Grossman
– Innovative management style
• Many of Dylan’s songs were hits for other artists
– It was Grossman who had Peter, Paul and Mary
record “Blowin’ in the Wind”• An example of his leverage style of management
Bob Dylan (cont.)
• “Protest singer”
• “Voice of a Generation”
Ex: Bob Dylan
– “Masters of War” (1963)
• By 1964/65, less political lyrics, more rock image and musical style
Dylan Goes Electric• Seen by some as a rejection of the traditional folk scene
• Not a sudden event, but spread out over a few stages
• March 1965 he released an album which had an entire side of electric material (Bringing It All Back Home)
• July 1965: The most famous incident, when he performed with an electric band at the Newport Folk Festival
• Hostile reactions during the 1966 UK tour
– Which included the famous “Judas” moment
Ex: Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965)
– Early electric Dylan
• 6 minute single - which says it’s not pop - although it was on the radio
• Four long sections (with one verse and chorus in each section)
• Campbell/Brody: “a cinematic portrayal of a privileged princess who’s strung out and trying to survive on the streets”
• In what ways does this still resemble
his acoustic folk material?
• Rock songs can now be about anything
• Dylan was a major influence on the mid-1960s transformation from Rock and Roll to a style that would be called simply Rock
– Compare 1950s Rock and Roll with mid-to-late 1960s rock
• New potential for pop music: broad and important lyrics
• New musical sounds as well
• In July 1966 Dylan had a
motorcycle accident
– Out of the spotlight for awhile, still influential
Folk Rock• “Meaningful” lyrics with beat and electric instrumentation of rock
• Most songs were newly composed
• But not all:
Ex: The Animals
– “House of the Rising Sun” (1964)
• British band
• First folk rock song?
The Byrds• Formed in Los Angeles, 1964
• Several early rock versions of folk songs
Ex: Bob Dylan “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1964)
Ex: The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)
• US and UK #1
• Brings together folk revival (Dylan)
• Girl Groups (Phil Spector/Wrecking Crew)
• Surf (Beach Boys)
• and with the 12-string, the Beatles/British Invasion
Simon & GarfunkelEx: Simon & Garfunkel – “Sounds of Silence” (1964)
– original acoustic version
• Not a hit when first recorded– S&G broke up, but reformed when this became a hit
• After the success of Dylan and the Byrds, the
record company added other instruments (without
S&G’s knowledge) and released it; became a hit
Ex: “Sound of Silence” (1965) – overdubbed version
• Featuring members of Dylan’s band
• Increased instrumental and vocal intensity as song builds
Singer-songwriterMany similarities with folk:
• The emphasis is on lyrics and melody
• Minimal instrumentation, often solo, usually acoustic instruments
• Often features socially-minded lyrics and/or personal expression
• Connection between music, text, listener
• Historical context: folk, country, blues songwriters were “singer-songwriters” by definition
– Hank Williams’ “3 chords and the truth”
Leonard Cohen
• From Montreal
• As much a literary figure
as a musical one
• Mid-1950s: Poetry, novels
• By 1966, musical performer
Ex: Leonard Cohen – “Suzanne” (1967)
• First published as a poem, 1966
Joni Mitchell• First woman folk singer
with a large body of work
• Many different styles: jazz fusion
• Revered as a songwriter
• Painter, photographer
Ex: Joni Mitchel – “All I Want” (1971)
• Love song, but unusual in that it seems like we’re listening to her subconscious thoughts
• Strophic form, 3 stanzas of lyrics
Newer singer-songwriters
Ex: Tracy Chapman – Fast Car (1988)
• About escaping poverty
• Strong emotion connection in lyrics and music
Ex: Ani Difranco – “Overlap” (1994)
• Influence as a guitarist as well as performer and songwriter
• Socially active as a performer and through her record label
• Why do you think there are so many female singer-songwriters?
• How does this genre fit in with gender stereotypes?
Newer Folk and Folk Rock
Ex: Great Big Sea ”Run Runaway" (1996)• Late 80s/early 90s this kind of updated
folk-rock sound became quite popular – One of the other leading bands of the type– Play some (traditional) Canadian and Newfoundland folk songs and new songs
written in this style
Ex: The Lumineers – “Ho Hey” (2012)• “Indie-folk”• Similarities and differences between these
two examples and 1960s folk rock?